A Sumpter Township mother charged with the murder of her 4-year-old daughter, who was severely burned, suffered serious burns herself as a child, a court record obtained by the Free Press on Friday shows.

Candice Diaz, now 24, was injured in a house fire that happened when her biological mother left Diaz with her alcoholic grandmother, the record filed in 2004 reveals.

“The mother and a grandmother had been jailed because of injuries that occurred,” the document said.

It didn’t say when the fire occurred or where, but documents in the Wayne County Circuit Court file show the parental rights of Diaz’s mother and father were later terminated.

Diaz and her boyfriend, Brad Fields, 28, now face charges connected to the death of Diaz’s daughter, Gabrielle Barrett. They include: felony murder, second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse and torture.

Gabrielle died New Year’s Day, shortly after authorities were called to the family’s mobile home and discovered the girl unresponsive and badly burned.

Candice Diaz and Brad Fields have been charged with felony murder, second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse and torture in the death of 4-year-old Gabrielle Barrett. The Sumpter Township girl died Jan. 1, 2018. Officials said she had burns and bruises on her body.(Photo: Lowndes County Sheriff's Office)

She had bruises and burns over her entire body and her death was ruled a homicide, authorities said.

Speer, who lives in Washington and never met Gabrielle, said she spent time with Diaz growing up and communicated with her as recently as Jan. 1, the day Gabrielle died.

She told the Free Press that Diaz was burned from head to toe in the fire that occurred around the time Diaz was Gabrielle’s age. Diaz underwent several surgeries and had nightmares from it, she said.

“That fire damaged her physically and mentally,” Speer said.

Speer said Diaz was adopted by a relative, who provided for her and gave her a stable home. She said she can’t see hurting a child for something a person experienced in the past.

“We’ve all been through shit,” Speer said. “It’s no excuse.”

Records show when Diaz was a kid, her biological mother, Roina Diaz, and biological father, Timothy Mullins, were incarcerated in Kentucky during child protective proceedings held at the Lincoln Hall of Justice in Detroit in 2003.

Diaz’s father withdrew objections to contest Diaz’s adoption and her mother had little contact with the girl for two years prior to an adoption petition being filed, a document said. Both parents were accused of failing to support the child.

A Kentucky Department of Corrections spokeswoman said a woman with the same full name as Diaz’s biological mother received a 1-year sentence for second-degree criminal abuse in connection with an incident from 1998 that involved her 4-year-old daughter being burned.

Few other details were immediately available regarding the incident, which happened 20 years ago.

In the latest case involving Gabrielle, authorities said the girl suffered burns on her legs, buttocks and elbows. She was burned so badly that her big toe fell off and police found melted skin in the bathtub drain, according to a court document obtained earlier this week.

Diaz told authorities Gabrielle ran her own bath water on Dec. 31, causing burns to her skin, but Diaz did not seek medical care for her daughter.

The Washtenaw County Medical Examiner told a detective investigating the girl’s death that this is the "worst child death case” in 27 years of practice, a court document said.

Visitation for Gabrielle will be 2-9 p.m. Saturday at Uht Funeral Home in Westland, her relatives said. Gabrielle's funeral service will be held Sunday and is just for friends and family.